Spartak/ John ChantlerSplit

HellosQuare Recordings / cube021

Spartak/ John Chantler'Split'

1 review »Here's the other Spartak thing this week, a split 3" CD they knocked up with John Chantler of Room 40 fame. Their track, 'In This Light, These Children of Men..' is an excellent thing that's hard to pin down - at times it seems like it's going to go post-rock, at others there's a hint of kosmische Ash-Ra Tempel type stuff but the drums stop it from veering too close to either of those things, ... »

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Here's the other Spartak thing this week, a split 3" CD they knocked up with John Chantler of Room 40 fame. Their track, 'In This Light, These Children of Men..' is an excellent thing that's hard to pin down - at times it seems like it's going to go post-rock, at others there's a hint of kosmische Ash-Ra Tempel type stuff but the drums stop it from veering too close to either of those things, it's kind of a minimal jazz style if that's not a contradiction in terms and almost Sunny Murray-esque if that's not too ridiculous a comparison to throw around. It probably is but let's throw comparisons to the wind. As with their other release this week it makes you feel like you're having a nice lay down on a lilo in the sun-drenched pool, but in the pool may lay danger. Are there piranhas? Sharks? If you have a wee will it send out that dye stuff so everyone laughs at you and you have to go home in shame? Who knows, but these guys seem pretty cool. The John Chantler tracks ('Show Me Your Bright Lights' and 'No Sad Songs Tonight') push us further into the Land of the Experimental (that really is a place) with some minimal avant-garde noodling, but it's not wanky by any means. Instruments drop in and out and motifs don't recur too often yet the tracks flow seamlessly and just seem 'right'. Good release, this one.